SHARE ON: |
| |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
A Texas nurse was convicted Tuesday of capital murder in the deaths of four patients who died after prosecutors say he injected them with air following heart surgeries.
The Smith County jury deliberated for about an hour before finding William George Davis, of Hallsville, guilty of capital murder involving multiple victims. Prosecutors planned to seek the death penalty during the sentencing phase, which was scheduled to start Wednesday.
Davis, 37, was accused of injecting air into the four patients arteries after they underwent heart surgery at the Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler in 2017 and 2018. During recovery from their surgeries, the four -- John Lafferty, Ronald Clark, Christopher Greenway and Joseph Kalina -- suffered unexplained neurological problems and died.
During the trial, Dr. William Yarbrough, a Dallas-area pulmonologist and professor of internal medicine, explained to the jury how injecting air into the arterial system of the brain causes brain injury and death.
Yarbrough said he was able to determine there was air in the arterial system of the victims brains by viewing images from brain scans -- something he said he had never before observed in his decades in medicine.
He ruled out blood pressure problems or any other causes of death besides the injection of air, and said it must have happened after the surgeries because the complications occurred while the patients were in recovery.
Defense attorney Phillip Hayes told the jury that the hospital had issues and that Davis was a scapegoat who was only charged because he was there when the deaths occurred.
Prosecutor Chris Gatewood said during closing arguments that Davis liked to kill people. And prosecutor Jacob Putman said the hospital hadnt changed any of its procedures and hadnt had any similar incidents since Davis left.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
4 pm |
| 30 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: WNW 31 KM/H
GUSTING TO 38 KM/H |
|
|
|
5 pm |
| 29 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: WNW 32 KM/H
GUSTING TO 39 KM/H |
|
|
|
6 pm |
| 29 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: WNW 29 KM/H
GUSTING TO 38 KM/H |
|
|
|
7 pm |
| 28 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: WNW 25 KM/H
GUSTING TO 37 KM/H |
|
|
|
8 pm |
| 28 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: WNW 20 KM/H
GUSTING TO 39 KM/H |
|
|
 |
9 pm |
| 25 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: NW 14 KM/H
GUSTING TO 29 KM/H |
|
|
|
10 pm |
| 24 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: NW 11 KM/H
GUSTING TO 13 KM/H |
|
|
|
11 pm |
| 23 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: NW 10 KM/H
GUSTING TO 10 KM/H |
|
|
|
|
TODAY |
HIGH OF 30 ℃
LOW OF 18 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
 |
MONDAY |
HIGH OF 32 ℃
LOW OF 17 ℃ |
| SCATTERED CLOUDS |
|
|
|
TUESDAY |
HIGH OF 37 ℃
LOW OF 18 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
 |
WEDNESDAY |
HIGH OF 36 ℃
LOW OF 20 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
|
THURSDAY |
HIGH OF 29 ℃
LOW OF 17 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
 |
FRIDAY |
HIGH OF 32 ℃
LOW OF 17 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
|
|
|
SATURDAY |
HIGH OF 36 ℃
LOW OF 18 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
|
SUNDAY |
HIGH OF 35 ℃
LOW OF 23 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
EMERSON DRIVE
FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON
04:11 PM |
|
 |
TYLER FARR
WITHDRAWALS
04:07 PM |
|
 |
LADY A
STOP DRAGGIN MY HEART AROUND
04:02 PM |
|
 |
GRANGER SMITH
YOURE IN IT
03:59 PM |
|
 |
TREA LANDON
HOW SHES MAKIN OUT
03:56 PM |
|
 |
SWEETWATER RAIN
STARSHINE
03:52 PM |
|
 |
CODY HIBBARD
ROLLIN
03:49 PM |
|
 |
ERIN KINSEY
NO FENCES
03:43 PM |
|
 |
DIERKS BENTLEY
AMERICAN GIRL
03:40 PM |
|
 |
KYLIE MORGAN
SCRATCHING THE SURFACE
03:37 PM |
|
 
 |
